3 minute read
James McDonald happy with feel from Coolangatta after Ascot workout.
Being reacquainted with Coolangatta on the Ascot straight a week out from the King's Stand Stakes has given James Mcdonald 'a lot of confidence' ahead of the start of the Royal meeting.
The champion jockey was aboard the glamour filly in her hitout with a Charlie Hills-trained workmate, whom she surged away from late under light riding.
McDonald rode Coolangatta at her first four starts, but hasn't been aboard since last year's Golden Slipper third placing and was thrilled with the way she handled the undulating straight track.
"Coolangatta handled the track beautifully," McDonald said.
"She ticked a lot of boxes and I was delighted the way she stretched and extended. I let her breeze through the line and she pulled up extremely well."
The session was Coolangatta's most serious piece of work since landing in the UK late last week, having had her campaign thrust into doubt with a lacklustre 900m jumpout at Flemington just over a week before departure.
The daughter of Coolangatta underwent testing after that, which left co-trainer Ciaron Maher satisfied there were no underlying issues, but he was relieved to see a sharper version in England and was buoyed by McDonald's reaction.
"She stretched nicely to the line and James said she took quite a while to pull up, he was beaming about the work and it was everything I wanted to see," Maher, who trains with David Eustace, said.
"She has really thrived since being here – she is in the very quiet surrounds of Lambourn – and she was in need of a nice hit out to keep a lid on her."
McDonald will be out to make it back-to-back wins in the King's Stand Stakes following last year's win aboard Nature Strip and while he said the Moir Stakes and Black Caviar Lightning winner has a way to go reach his heights, one big thing in her favour next Tuesday is the 1006m of the King's Stand Stakes.
"She did it really well over the five furlongs at Flemington, which gives us a bit of confidence coming here," McDonald said.
"The quality she beat that day in the Lightning was simply sensational. Any of those sprinters could travel anywhere around the world and be competitive.
"Nature Strip was a champion racehorse but Coolangatta is getting there and I have no doubt she will run well on Tuesday. This morning has given me a lot of confidence."
